Chickadee Birdhouse Plan

Our chickadee birdhouse plan is to be used by chickadees, but wrens, titmice, and house finches might find it suitable for nesting. You can cut most of the pieces of this birdhouse from a 6-foot 1x6 (3/4" x 5 1/2") fence board, but you will need a 1-foot section of 1x8 for the front and back roof sections.

Chickadee Birdhouse Plan
Chickadee Birdhouse Plan

Materials List:

Tools:


Chickadee Birdhouse Exploded View
Chickadee Birdhouse Exploded View

Birdhouse Parts List

Description Size Quantity
Base 3/4" x 4" x 4" 1
Front 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 12-3/16" 1
Sides 3/4" x 4" x 12" 2
Back (Upper Fixed) 3/4" x 5-1/2" x 3" 1
Cleanout Door (Hinged) 3/4" x 5-1/2" x 7-7/8" 1
Front Roof 3/4" x 7-1/2" x 3" 1
Back Roof 3/4" x 7-1/2" x 7" 1

Chickadee Birdhouse Plan


Building the Chickadee Birdhouse

Ignore the Entrance Hole shown on the Front Panel in the drawing below. You will drill it through the Front Facade and Front Panel in a later step.

Chickadee Birdhouse

Success!

The cleanout/observation door makes cleaning the birdhouse easy and provides access for non-disruptive bird observation. Slowly rotate the locking screw and ease the access door open so that you do not disturb the nesting bird.


About Chickadees

There are many varieties of chickadees in North America. They often nest in natural cavities, abandoned woodpecker nests, or nest boxes. Carolina chickadees are the most common in Texas, with one brood and a clutch size of up to 10 eggs. Chickadees nest near the edges of woodlands and prefer nest boxes mounted 5-20 feet above the ground.

Birdhouse Maintenance

Every year in January, we clean out the old nesting materials from each of our 13 birdhouses. It is not uncommon to discover a wasp nest attached to the ceiling of the birdhouse. All the wasp nests in our birdhouses were old and abandoned except one. We found nearly a dozen wasps huddled together on the top of their old nest. When we disturbed them, they crawled aimlessly on the ground and were not aggressive, as they often are in the spring and summer. We removed the wasp nest and the disoriented wasps and brushed liquid soap on the upper inside of the birdhouse to prevent the next season's wasps from starting a new nest. We have not tried this before - hopefully, that will do the trick!

Painting a Birdhouse

If you plan to paint your birdhouse, use nontoxic, eco-friendly paint that does not produce airborne emissions called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Use natural colors that do not absorb heat. Do not paint the interior surfaces of the birdhouse where the birds build their nests.

Protect your Birdhouse from Predators

The methods you use to protect your nesting birds from predators depend on how you mount the birdhouse. If you install it on a pole, you can purchase or construct a shrowd that prevents critters from climbing up.


Visit Texas Birding on RVweekends.com to see photos of some of the birds we have seen during the bird migration seasons.

Visit eBird to learn more about birds and discover the world of birding.


 See Also (on mycarpentry.com)

Birdhouse Plans - Check out all the birdhouse plans on mycarpentry.com.

Woodworking Projects - Check out the woodworking projects on mycarpentry.com.

Outdoor Bench Plans - Build an outdoor bench for studying nesting birds.

What next?

Leave Chickadee Birdhouse Plan and visit the mycarpentry.com home page.


 

Facebook Link
Pinterest Link